One of the speakers during the general session of the 2016 Export Exchange this week was Todd Armstrong, Senior Director of Global Market Access at Elanco Animal Health, who gave a discussion about balancing customer expectations with the realities of a growing population.
Armstrong discussed some of the major challenges facing food producers today, such as the population growth, technology convergence, and sustainability concerns, and considered how to continue addressing those challenges as consumers continue to place increased pressure on producers to utilize specific production methods.
“From the field to the dinner plate, the consumer is demanding and expecting increased transparency on what happens to their food,” said Armstrong in his speech, where he identified the “clean food” movement that calls on producers to provide options like cage-free eggs, antibiotic-free meat, as a major driving force of the change to consumer perception. “But this clean food movement does not always relate to safe food.”
Armstrong also discussed the importance of staying aware of, and responding to, the way food production is being discussed in the media and online, and addressed the necessity of listening to consumers and their spending plans in order to make decisions about what consumers really want.
The Export Exchange is co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) every other year to bring together international buyers and domestic suppliers of corn, ethanol co-products, sorghum and barley.
Listen to his full presentation here:
Presentation by Todd Armstrong, Elanco Animal Health=
View and download photos from the event here: 2016 Export Exchange Photo Album.
